Over the years, the Final Fantasy series has told some wonderful stories. From Terra's struggles to come to terms with her Esper heritage to Tella's heroic sacrifice, Square Enix's collective works could rival those of Shakespeare or Miller. As all theater lovers know though, a play is only as good as its actors.
Luckily, the Final Fantasy series has a huge cast of wonderful characters on which it is able to call. With each new game covering its own stand-alone story though, there's always a need for fresh recruits. Not all parties are created equal, however, with some games featuring significantly more party members than others.
Only the main numbered games will be considered.
10 Final Fantasy XV (4 + 2)
Small though it may be, Final Fantasy XV's core cast is incredibly well balanced, both in terms of their abilities in battle and their personalities. Each provides something a little different to the group dynamic and the excellent writing helps to make their friendship all the more believable.
Gladiolus' little sister Iris is the most notable guest character in the game, although the mercenary Aranea Highwind also tags along for a while as well. The DLC episodes introduce a few more, but as they're not part of the game's main story, most players will never experience playing with them.
9 Final Fantasy III (4 + 7)
Much like Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy III only features four main party members. Luneth, Arc, Refia, and Ingus are with the player from start to finish, although very little work was put into exploring their personalities in the original version. This was somewhat rectified by an accompanying manga and the subsequent 3D remake, but for those playing in the '90s, they made for a rather boring bunch.
Thankfully, the game's guest characters picked up quite a bit of the slack. There were seven in total, with each being fairly well defined. Guest characters were a lot more popular in the series' earlier days, as shown by the 13 that can be found throughout its second and third entries alone. As the narratives became more fleshed out and full voice-acting crept into the series, party sizes seemed to level out at around eight.
8 Final Fantasy V (5 + 0)
Final Fantasy V is one of only two games in the series not to feature a single guest character (the other being the very first Final Fantasy). As great as guest characters can sometimes be, their absence from Final Fantasy V arguably makes for a much stronger party and supports the argument that size really doesn't matter.
Not having to worry about guest characters allowed the team to focus solely on the core cast of characters and this extra attention really shows. Bartz is a very relatable protagonist and the contrasting personalities of Lenna and Faris provide some nice moments of intrigue. Galuf's death also carries a lot of emotional weight, which might not have been the case had he gotten lost in a crowd of thinly-written guest characters.
7 Final Fantasy XIII (6+2)
Although Final Fantasy XIII features six main party members, the only one that really matters is Lightning. Not only is her character incredibly well designed, but she's also one of the most interesting main protagonists in the whole series. In comparison, the other five are very generic and, as a result, largely forgettable.
The game also features two guest characters in the forms of Gadot and Lebreau. They're members of Snow's resistance group NORA and only show up during the early stages of the game. They also make an appearance in Final Fantasy XIII-2, although they are at no point playable during the game.
6 Final Fantasy VIII (6 + 5)
Final Fantasy VIII's unnecessarily complicated storyline was a real turn-off for a lot of players. It's a shame really as its characters are some of the best in the series. Squall is a fine main protagonist, with his unfamiliarity with Seed allowing players to learn and develop alongside him. The rest are equally likable, with Seifer and Edea's story-arcs being particularly enjoyable.
This isn't the first Final Fantasy game in which players control antagonists, nor is it the last, but the role that Seifer and Edea play in the game's party is far greater than those that came before them. The fact that they fight for both sides makes them all the more interesting, although it's difficult to forgive their earlier actions – even if they were being possessed at the time.
5 Final Fantasy X (7 + 1)
The Final Fantasy series doesn't do romance often, but when it does, it invariably gets it spot on. The bond between Tidus and Yuna in Final Fantasy X is incredibly believable and watching them part ways at the game's climax is a hard-hitting moment for many. Wakka and Auron are also great characters, with only one party member really letting the side down.
Kimahri is undoubtedly the weakest link, mostly due to how little he says throughout the game. The developers tried their best to add more depth to his character through his clashes with the other Ronso, but it just isn't enough to cover up how bland he really is. Six out of seven is still pretty impressive though.
4 Final Fantasy IX (8 +4)
Although their designs felt like a step backward to many, the questionable art style should take nothing away from the brilliance of Final Fantasy 9's cast. Vivi, Steiner, and Zidane are all great characters, while Princess Garnet continues the series' tradition of featuring royalty in the main party.
The game's four guest characters help to keep things fresh and offer a bit more variety in general, although the inability to teach them abilities can be a bit frustrating. There's a surprising amount of depth to all of the characters found throughout the game and, together, they make up one of the series' best parties.
3 Final Fantasy VII (9 + 1)
It might not quite be the largest, but it's certainly one of the most memorable. To many, Cloud is the best protagonist in the series, and characters like Tifa and Aerith are also big fan favorites. It's not just them though. Every one of the game's party members brings something different to the table and has a great story to tell.
Final Fantasy VII is the last game in the series to feature optional party members. Given how much work goes into designing, writing, and voicing video game characters in the modern age though, this actually makes a lot of sense. Not only could all of that work go to waste, but, due to their optional nature, they typically can't offer much in terms of narrative.
2 Final Fantasy IV (12 + 1)
Cecil remains one of the series' all-time best protagonists. His story arc is complex and full of surprising twists and turns. Supporting characters like Tellah and Kain each bring their own demons to the table and provide additional layers to the game's narrative. The former also brings one hell of a mustache.
It could certainly be argued that, due to the way that party members come and go in Final Fantasy IV, only Cecil can be considered a true party member. However, given how involved all of the other characters are in the game's story, calling them guests just doesn't feel appropriate.
1 Final Fantasy VI (14 + 15)
With 14 main party members and an additional 15 guest characters, Final Fantasy VI has by far the most playable characters in any of the main games in the franchise. It's worth noting that a few of them are optional, but even without Umaro and Gogo, there a still 12.
The game does a great job of utilizing this large cast, with the party splitting up into groups on several different occasions. The way that they all bounce off of each other works really well too, with Cyan and Gau's interactions being particularly amusing. They also have their own distinct fighting styles and their own musical themes, which really help to set them apart from other parties in the series.